Maritime historian David Abulafia discusses how Portuguese settlers in the fifteenth century created societies on previously uninhabited land, how the discovery of the Americas affected these islands and how the islands affected the history of the Americas. Watch the lecture here.

From its foundational core of Americana purchased in 1846, the JCB Library has always been a global collection. As we acquire new books, maps, and prints, we pay close attention to broader connections. This exhibition demonstrates that there are many worlds – and not just American ones – beneath the surface of our extraordinary collection.

Hours:

Monday-Friday: 9:00-5:00Thursday: until 7:00

No new materials handed out from 12 - 1 p.m.Closed on weekends and on major holidays.

Michael Witmore, Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library, looks at Shakespeare's plays as a kind of wisdom literature, presenting ten ideas that can be carried away from his dramatic works and applied to situations we encounter today....